The invention relates to shifting systems for marine drives, and more particularly to method and apparatus facilitating easier shifting.
A marine stern drive has a driveshaft housing including a bell housing with an exhaust passage therethrough directing exhaust gas and cooling water. A shift shaft extends through the exhaust passage and is journaled in the bell housing by a bushing in a bore in a section of the bell housing. It has been found that the interface of the bushing and the bore in the section of the bell housing is subject to corrosion from the exhaust gas and cooling water, and that such corrosion at the noted interface causes the bushing to contract radially inwardly toward the shift shaft and may tend to bind same and hence impede rotation thereof, which in turn makes shifting difficult.
The present invention recognizes, addresses and solves the above noted problem in a particularly simple and effective manner.